Business News Round Up (28/11/2025)
Gov-backed InvestScotland Gateway launches
A single online point of contact for global investors looking to participate in Scotland’s biggest projects has launched. InvestScotland – showcases large-scale investment opportunities in renewable energy and housing, including Kishorn Port, one of Scotland’s most strategically important deep-water facilities, and Coire Glas, a pumped storage hydro investment planned for the Great Glen. More opportunities will be added as the portal develops. Announced by deputy first minister Kate Forbes at the Investment Association conference in Edinburgh, InvestScotland will make it easier for international investors to participate in a range of major projects being planned or already underway. The portal is hosted by Scottish Development International (SDI) and supplements more than 30 regional investment sites. Enquiries to the opportunities listed will be handled primarily by Scottish Development International with the support of investment specialists at the Scottish Government, its enterprise agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank.
https://www.digit.fyi/gov-backed-investscotland-gateway-launches
New Bill needed to stop rates on empty business properties being refunded
Holyrood will have to pass new legislation after an error was discovered which means councils have had no legal basis to levy non-domestic rates on empty properties for more than two and a half years. Public finance minister Ivan McKee said that Non-Domestic Rates (Liability for Unoccupied Properties) (Scotland) Bill would allow for non-domestic rates to be charged on owners of unoccupied business properties – with this to be backdated to April 2023. Ministers had intended that the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020 would give councils powers to charge rates on vacant non-domestic properties. This repealed previous legislation which states no rates were payable on empty business properties – but the Act failed to take account of previous laws dating back to 1956. Without the new legislation being passed by Holyrood, rates paid by owners of empty properties since April 2023 would have to be paid back to them.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/new-bill-needed-stop-rates-36303047
Greater Manchester Combined Authority paves way to improve social mobility in region, new report highlights
A new report by the Social Mobility Commission outlines how the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is partnering with local people, employers and institutions to improve opportunity access in the region. In Greater Manchester, education pathways have been introduced to better align secondary education with local jobs, and travel infrastructure has been upgraded, allowing improved access from nearby towns to city hubs. The report, “Regional Insights: Creating fairer chances across the regions”, demonstrates how practical, locally-led decisions can help to unlock opportunity for millions of people across the UK. The findings draw on a year of roundtables with local leaders from multiple sectors and regions, visits to projects across the country, and conversations with people working to increase opportunity in their communities. Included in the report is the introduction of the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) and the now established Bee Network, which has improved access to the city of Manchester.
Scottish engineering sector ‘resilient’ despite cost pressures
Confidence among Scottish engineering and manufacturing firms improved to +4% during the final quarter, as export orders outperformed domestic demand. 79% maintained or increased staff; even as margins fell sharply due to persistent cost pressures. Medium-sized companies delivered the strongest results, while exports continued to act as a buffer against weaker UK demand, according to the latest survey from Scottish Engineering. Order intake, however, remains under pressure, with total orders declining by 12%. Export markets demonstrated better resilience than domestic markets, declining by 6%, compared to UK orders’ 18% fall. The report highlighted divergent performance by company size, with medium-sized companies achieving strong results – total orders lifting by 39% and export orders jumping 44% – while smaller companies showed commitment to workforce retention, growing employment by 3%, despite facing significant order pressure. The quarter’s primary challenge was margin compression, with margins falling by 24%, even as prices rose by 15%.